Ethics & Philosophy
AIMS
In this department, we aim to foster a full appreciation for this subject to be regarded as a proper academic discipline. For us, this means examining religious beliefs, teachings and practices, with a deep commitment to explore the ethical and philosophical dimensions that are interwoven with our subject matter. Running parallel to this, we always strive to cultivate the spiritual, moral, social and cultural fibres of the human character, which we feel are integral to successful citizenship in modern Britain.
CURRICULUM
In Years 7, pupils examine some of the major world religions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism (for more information visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zh3rkqt). As mentioned above, we try to tease out important moral and philosophical themes associated with religious beliefs, holy texts and modern day practices, which make for some excellent class discussions.
In Year 8, pupils begin to grapple with some of the challenging arguments for and against the existence of God through our ‘Faith in Action’ topics. They explore some controversial and emotive case studies, such as Anne Frank and the Holocaust (for more information visit https://www.annefrank.org/en/), and the remarkable true story of a notorious New York gang leader, on a quest for redemption (for more information visit: https://nickycruz.org/about/)
In Years 9, 10 and 11 pupils have the opportunity to choose Religious Studies GCSE, which has been extremely popular over the last few years. There are two examinations for this course of study, one of which focuses on moral themes and the other examination assesses the knowledge and understanding of two world religions (Christianity and Islam).
The topics studied in Year 9 include Christian Beliefs, Crime & Punishment and Peace & Conflict. Year 10 focuses on the extensive topics of Christian Practices and the Life Issues moral theme. Year 11 is devoted to studying Islamic Beliefs and Practices, as well as the final moral theme, which is Relationships & Families. For more information please visit: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062
FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
Ethics and Philosophy is taught in the Radcliffe wing, where classrooms are equipped with desktop computers, data projectors, DVD players and visualisers. We have a wide range of books, magazine articles, video material and artefacts, and we often like to create our own bespoke resources. The department is committed to a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies including class debates, source analysis, exploration of case studies, documentaries, collaborative learning, Socratic questioning, quizzes and mysteries.
TRIPS, VISITS & EXTRA-CURRICULAR
Opportunities for educational visits in Ethics and Philosophy are increasing, with the most recent example being the Year 7 visit to Blackburn Cathedral. We have also enjoyed inviting visiting speakers to our Humanities Curriculum Days for Year 9, including a representative from the Sikh and Hindu communities. We also run extra-curricular clubs in Ethics and Philosophy, which evolve according to the interests of our pupils, but have included debating societies in recent years.
Comments from students:
“It is a subject that really makes you think about things.”
“I enjoy the discussions and it has really made me look at things differently.”
“A very interesting subject where your opinions can easily change and everybody’s thoughts are heard.”
“My favourite subject.”
For more information please contact:
Mr. BM Burton
Head of Humanities and Subject Leader for Ethics and Philosophy
